New Scientist


LSD could be approved for anxiety in the US in 2027

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The psychedelic drug LSD eased anxiety in a late-stage trial, paving the way for a probable approval in the US within the next two years


A new biography of Stephen Hawking gets to grips with a complicated man

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Graham Farmelo has written the first authorised biography of the famous physicist. He should be applauded for digging into various controversies – but could have gone further, says Jacob Aron


How I made a slime mould the protagonist of my new sci-fi novel

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000

How do you get the science right in a sci-fi book? Columnist Annalee Newitz started by asking many kinds of researchers lots of very strange questions – and ended up in love with slime moulds


One of the fundamental forces is stronger than we thought

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0000

The most precise calculation yet of the electroweak force could help fix cracks in the standard model of particle physics


Reading for pleasure boosts memory, empathy and mental health

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:01:00 +0000

Fewer people are reading for pleasure, but getting lost in a good book has repeatedly been linked to substantial cognitive benefits


Brain implant lets people with paralysis speak and gesture at the same time

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:37:23 +0000

Previous brain implants have enabled people with paralysis to either speak or move, but a new, larger one let them do both simultaneously via an avatar


Jet-powered drones pose a new threat to Ukraine – can they be stopped?

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:02:34 +0000

Ukraine is racing to design faster, more capable interceptor drones to tackle Russia's new generation of jet-powered Shahed attack drones


We’ve long thought that time has only one dimension. What if we’re wrong?

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A second dimension of time has long seemed wholly incompatible with reality. But fresh insights involving black holes and quantum mechanics suggest it deserves another look


Scientists call for ‘emergency’ measures to save sea life from El Niño

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:29:28 +0000

Reducing fishing quotas, rescuing endangered species from the water and testing geoengineering could help soften ocean heat impacts from the record El Niño, some oceanographers argue


Why is everyone suddenly worried about the risks of AI?

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:20:28 +0000

AI experts put the chance of models rising up and killing us all at greater than 10 per cent – but are the risks real? And can anything be done if they are?